LAND barons have once again taken advantage of impending elections and pounced on the land earmarked for the construction of the Harare –Chitungwiza railway line in yet another unfortunate incident which has seen desperate home seekers being duped.
In 2020, errant land barons were exposed for parceling out tracts of land at an open space in Retreat Farm Waterfalls, Harare in a development that saw authorities ordering the immediate demolition of structures that were under construction in the area.
Investigations by NewZimbabwe.com revealed the land barons are taking advantage of elections to dispose of the land under the guise of working with ‘highly connected’ politicians.
“I paid US$2 500 for this piece of land. My brother and I quickly left my lodgings to save up for construction. These are easy deals opened up by the election season,” said one new homeowner in the area.
Part of the land illegally sold to unsuspecting homeowners
Contacted for comment on the developments, NRZ spokesman, Andrew Kunambura urged members of the public to resist the temptation of occupying land earmarked for the construction of railway infrastructure.
He added the land is protected by irrevocable title deeds.
“The law will take its course. We have title deeds to all the land belonging to NRZ. We urge all prospective home seekers to verify with our regional offices or credible land dealers first before being duped,” he said.
Efforts to get hold of one of the land dealers in the area were futile as his mobile phone went unanswered.
Source New Zimbabwe
